The shop at Rochester Cathedral is to close next Easter - apparently the latest victim of the credit crunch.

Church leaders says the economic downturn and low customer number had contributed to its ‘regretful’ decision.

An announcement on the cathedral website said that despite the good work of paid and voluntary staff it had become increasingly difficult for the shop to break even let alone make a significant profit.

Plans to free up the nave of the cathedral, where the shop is located, has also been a factor.

There will, the announcement continues, continue to be a limited retail offer at the reception desk with audio-guides and guidebooks for sale.

It is hoped that some shop employees and volunteers will be able to continue, with no job losses planned.

The shop’s only full-time member of staff, retail manager Matthew Lucas, resigned from his post last Tuesday .

Mr Lucas, who worked at the shop for six years, was praised on the Cathedral website for his work.

It said: “We are extremely grateful to Matthew for all that he has done to build up the profile of the shop during his time here, and we wish him well as he moves on to new opportunities elsewhere.

“We hope to keep things running in the shop by the good offices of the staff and volunteers who are picking up extra hours in Matthew’s absence.”

Dr Edwina Bell, director of operations at Rochester Cathedral, said: “We were happy to keep Matthew on but he asked to leave early.

“We have three part-time workers who will be offered other employment in the Cathedral. There are also four volunteers who work in the shop. We have 350 volunteers all together so there will be no difficulty in making use of them.”